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Monday, July 24, 2017

The Love of Jesus

Jesus Loves You! This is the most excellent revelation. Please read on!

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast(Ephesians 2:4-9).“This is what I tell you to do: Love each other just as I have loved you. No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I tell you” (John 15:12-14 NLV).

In the verses above, we see God's great love for us in The Lord Jesus Christ, who in turn calls us to love Him by being involved with Him in giving love!

This article will not seek to define love in general; we will look at how the love of Christ Jesus expresses itself towards the human race (John 3:16). Some people become offended saying we must not patronize them when we convey the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to them. However, the Lord had commanded us to love one another, just as He loves us (John 13:34).

Vision of Love that has Gone Cold

In a vision given earlier last month (September 2014) to Charis, the Lord lowered what looked like an electronic reader board with words passing by saying, "The reason for all the quarrels and conflict between you and [Lucy] (not real name) is because your love for each other has grown cold, for loveless relationships breeds quarrels, fights and divisions". The Lord reminded her of this Scripture: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12 NIV). Perfect Love from God expresses itself through forgiveness and mercy, and in its fullness it shoots forth all the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Quarrels and strife eat away at any good relationship and literally consume peace, dividing people up into factions. Surely, lack of love is the principal cause of all strife in the family, Church and the world as a whole. Let us be on our guard against evil; Satan aims to steal the Word of God from our hearts in order to dispel love. When I was about 14 years old, I heard for the first time in my life that Jesus loved me. This message was very timely as it was an answer to a short prayer. A few days before I returned home, I prayed to the Lord saying, "Lord, why should I suffer so much and where will I end up in this life"?How precious His timing is! For on that same day, I returned home after I had ran away for about 4 months due to the abuse I suffered. As it is, I only realized later that it was the Lord who sent this sister to meet me and convey His love to me. This is how it happened: I was sent to the shop when a young born-again lady met with me on my way back from the shop. She came up to us (I was accompanied by two other children) and said in Afrikaans, "Seun Jesus is lief vir jou!", meaning: "Son, Jesus loves you!" I felt somewhat shy and embarrassed when she charged towards me to hug me, and I foolishly ran off, which I regretted later.

I tell you those words melted into my heart like sugar dissolving in hot water and sweetening it; those words remained with me. Back then, I did not know who the Lord Jesus was and how real His love was for me; I innocently knew He was God and that He died on the cross for me. Furthermore, while that statement did not lead to my immediate conversion, it left room for Christ later in my life. When faced with loveless situations, I can remember recalling those words and wished I could meet this Jesus. I did not know then that I did not have believing faith and lacked understanding of the Scriptures, otherwise I would have embraced His love.

The love of the Lord Jesus Christ transformed my heart and brought me into a closer relationship with Him and appreciation of what He did (and still does). Brethren, I do not undermined the love of Christ; it is powerful and His going to the cross laying down His life for the human race is REAL and without condition (John 15:13). I and many other servants of God were drawn to Him by His love; this unconditional love is still available and He is calling everyone saying: “Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy”(Matthew 11:28-30; 22:9 NLV).

Jesus’ Love Rejects No Humans

Our own sins and lustful desires drive us away from the abundant love of the Lord; it is not the Lord who rejects us (James 1:14). As it is, having been a backslider myself, I was driven away from the Lord by worldly desires and through deep feelings of guilt that led me to self-condemnation. I felt unworthy and powerless; the way I looked at myself is the way I believed Christ was looking at me. Being in a prison of my own self-condemnation, the Lord again freed me by saying to me, “He will not break off a fractured reed, and the lamp that flickers he will not extinguish until he will bring the verdict of innocence” (Matthew 12:20 Gods Word Translation). Fellow believers, stop your self-pitying! Accept Christ’s forgiveness for your past mistakes and serve Him without sinning anymore (John 8:11).

In 2008, I witnessed to a young lady who knew about the Lord, but what was keeping her from serving the Lord was self-condemnation. She told me that she committed very wicked sins and she was thinking the Lord would never forgive her. After explaining to her that it is for such people Christ came, she expressed interest and accepted the Lord (Luke 5:32). There is NO HATRED in Christ Jesus towards any human being. He hates sin and calls us to repentance from sin (Matthew 4:17). When the Lord Jesus Christ started His ministry, He did not go out with a sword and hatred; He went out in God’s love (John 5:43; 1 John 4:8). When He was humiliated, insulted and assaulted, He threatened no violence or retribution; instead, His love compelled Him to forgive (1 Peter 2:23; Luke 23:34).

Therefore, the world has experienced no greater love than the ABSOLUTE ABIDING LOVE the Lord Jesus Christ expressed and gave to the human race (Romans 8:35-39). I declare: no Christian should feel ashamed of their faith in Christ Jesus our LORD, for His all-consuming love stands out and has conquered evil (John 16:33). As it is, the Lord Jesus Christ conquered the world of evil through His abiding love; to what or who can we compare Him? NOTHING and NO ONE! His LOVE is simply all-encompassing and inexhaustible forever! If we reject His love, it will still be there to invite us and to comfort us. All God’s creation is founded on His love for Christ Jesus who came to express and give it to us (John 1:3; Colossians 1:17).

Who is Christ’s Love Calling?

“For God so loved the world [YOU and I] that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever. For God did not send His Son into the world to say it is guilty. He sent His Son so the world might be saved from the punishment of sin by Him” (John 3:16-17 NLV). That is correct! The Lord has extended His love to you; accept and experience a changed life of peace with God and people. Without Christ fear, hopelessness and uncertainty will drive you to unhappiness and a destiny of no satisfaction but endless regret.

In conclusion, in the Lord’s countless visits to us during these past four and a half years, He used no power, miracles or words to attract us to Him. His love which we experienced served as our reassurance that we are dealing with a God of love. There was no need for us to separate Him from the Bible; we discerned His love. When Christ first came to minister to us, He said, “I love Mychildren” and He showed His love to us by giving, teaching, guiding and correcting (Hebrews 12:6).

Follow the love way in Christ Jesus and make your home, workplace and world an attractive dwelling. Therefore, Christ’s love serves neither threats nor does it place any stumbling block to you,so embrace it! What is greater or more real than the love of God? (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) Why reject it when it works for your good? Stop hating what you can’t or will never be able to undo; the flame of Christ’s love has been ignited in this world; and it is alive in all His children! Remember without love for the Lord Jesus, it is impossible to live pleasing to Him.

If you would like to accept Jesus and His abundant unfailing love for you, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.